Celia came diving back through the canopy on Raven, the shadow beast folding her wings tight to slip between branches before spreading them again just above Liam and Asher.
Leaves whipped in her wake. Raven flew low, weaving between trees with predatory precision, staying close enough that Celia could speak without relying on the broken rhythm of the communication insignias. Liam and Asher kept moving beneath her, both running hard now, their earlier walking pace abandoned the instant the forest behind them had gone silent in the wrong way.
"Sheila said we are being closed in on by an Apex-level pack," Celia called down, gripping Raven's ridged back with one hand. Her voice stayed controlled, but the urgency beneath it was unmistakable. "I do not know exactly how high Apex is on the threat scale, but based on what we felt, it is not something minor."
